Surviving without Language

Time to live dangerously, break out of the safety of my apartment, and visit a nearby convenience store. Pretty simple, right? Walk in, grab a few items and place them on the counter. Look for the total owed on the cash register. Pay and walk out. No problem. This is universal, right? Okay, here goes.

I slowly wander up and down the aisles of the store. Is that shrimp flavoured potato chips? Will this tea taste like dirt? Then the clerk says something, "한국어 한국어 한국어?". Oh, um, he's probably asking if I need help. Right. I'll give him the double hand wave. Phew! Good. That seemed to work. Crisis averted.

Okay, sports drink, chips, and choco-pretzels in hand, I place everything on the counter.  I'll throw in the only Korean word I know, "Annyeong-haseyo! (hello)".  Haha. Nailed it! The clerk rings it up, and I find the cash in my wallet... "한국어 한국어 한국어?"  Ahh, what? Uh... bag, maybe? Yeah, he wants to know if I want a bag...probably? A quick head nod with an "mmm", and boom! Snacks in a bag and I'm walking out the door. Mission accomplished! Social interaction navigated like a boss.

As you can see, I'm managing to feed myself in Korea. I find that if you just go with the flow of the interaction and keep it simple, you get your food and things usually work out well.  Until they don't.

Me:  Green tea latte, please.
Barista: 한국어 한국어 한국어?
Me:  Oh, ahh, for here, please.
Barista: I asked if you had a points card.
Me:  Ah. Sorry, no. 😵

Moving around the city isn't too bad either.  The subway stations are labelled in Korean and English, and announcements for the upcoming stops are in both languages. I bought a pre-paid transit card that you tap-on and tap-off for any subway or bus and the correct amount is automatically deducted. Your fare and new balance shows up on the display. You don't have to worry about buying a ticket for each trip or calculating the fare.  On my first solo trip on the subway in Busan, I made it to Dadaepo Beach without incident. I had a lovely time, but on my way home when trying to exit the station, I tapped my card and the display turned red and an angry message sounded "한국어 한국어 한국어!!!". Startled, I backed away. Then I tried it again...  "한국어 한국어 한국어!!!" So I just tentatively pushed through the gate, it opened and I was free.  Did I just break the law? Break the subway? Thankfully no one was around to witness the debacle. Coronavirus has thinned the crowds as some people opt to stay home.

At school, things are going well. Two of the Korean-English teachers speak English very well and there are others who are confident enough to try their broken English, which I greatly appreciate. Everyone else basically keeps their head down and avoids my eye contact. 

Even though very few teachers come into the office these days, it is still important to greet the vice-principal each morning as well as the teachers who sit nearby. My go-to Korean word "Annyeong-haseyo! (hello)" does the trick. People respond well, and I'm in the door.  As my first day was ending, I started to worry.  "Hello" probably wouldn't work as I was leaving for the day. I listened carefully to what the other teachers were saying, "한국어 한국어 한국어", but it was inaudible. The words were just too fast. Feeling trapped, I spent the next 20 minutes on the internet searching for the correct Korean phrase to say when leaving the office. There were a couple options, but the one I thought I could handle was "Annyeong-hi geseyo!"  I practiced saying it a few times quietly at my desk. So, for my grand exit, I moved to the centre of the room, in front of the vice-principal, and awkwardly mumbled "Annyeong-hi geseyo..." And I walked out the door. God, I hope it means what I think it means.

I need to learn Korean.